Sale Barns

[rgv]

Just wondering - When I was younger
We would take our cattle and hogs to East St. Louis to the stockyards. I remember back then, you had to choose a commision company to sell your cattle or hogs on the sale day for that particular animal.
Do any sale barns operate in this fashion anymore?
I wonder if there were any advantages to us sellers with different brokers making sure you received the best prices for your stock, so that they would retain your business.

RGV

 

[Frankie]

Just wondering - When I was younger
We would take our cattle and hogs to East St. Louis to the stockyards. I remember back then, you had to choose a commision company to sell your cattle or hogs on the sale day for that particular animal.
Do any sale barns operate in this fashion anymore?
I wonder if there were any advantages to us sellers with different brokers making sure you received the best prices for your stock, so that they would retain your business.

RGV

Yes, the Oklahoma City stockyards still use commission companies. But, as far as I know, that's the only one in the state that does.

 

[stocky]

The last one to operate that way around here was Springfield, Mo. They had 6 commission companies and they each had 30 minutes in the ring on rotation until all the companies had sold out for the day. For 50 years or more, this was the only place to sell cattle in this area. They took for granted that they would get everyone's business and that allowed all the small sale barns to get started. There are now around 25 auctions within 100 miles. That sale barn went under and was bought out and still runs as a very small business sale barn but is owned by the owner of the 2nd largest sale in the nation, 60 miles down the road at Joplin. Most of the former commission companies went together and built a 3 million dollar cattle auction on the outside of Springfield and it is doing very well. The website Springfieldlivestockmarketingcenter.com shows the new, modern barn. They had a great special stock cow sale there last week with black springer heifers bringing 1300-1500 per head.